Fender skirt



FENDER SKIRT Filed Oct. 11, 1943 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PEI 12:1 7

650265 fikeaer Z ou.

July 5, 1949. s, A. LYON 2,474,852

FENDER SKIRT Filed Oct. 11, 194:5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g I fig.

Patented July 5, 1949 FENDER sKlngr George Albert Lyon; Allenhur'sfl N3 J assignor @to Lyon, Incorporated, :Detroit; Michal a; corporation of Delaware Application October 11, 1943, Serial N some};

7 Claims.

This invention is directed to an improved fender skirt for automotive vehicles or the like.

It is an important object of the invention to provide for an automotive vehicle or the like an improved fender skirt constructed and arrangedto efiiciently Withstand breakage when subjected to abutment or collision with other objects.

It is another important object of the invention to provide an improved fender skirt which may be quickly and easily attached and detached from a fender with which it is associated to afford servicing of a wheel covered-thereby.

It is a further object of the invention .to provide for an automotive vehicle or the like an improved fender skirt which is so constructed and arranged that it materially reduces .the sprung weight'of the vehicle, thus considerably contributing to reduction in Weight of the entire vehicle body.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved fender skirt structure constructed from a material which is self-supporting .as .to form and yet temporarily flexible, such material being in the nature of resilient sheet synthetic .plastic material or the like.

It is another important object. of the invention to provide for an improved fender skirt construction a novel and improved assembly :for detachably securing the skirt to a fender in such a way that it may be readily removed therefrom and yet securely maintained thereon during use.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, there is provided herein, for a fender having a wheel Opening therein, said opening being defined by an inwardly turned flange on .the fender, an improved skirt assembly which includes a relatively rigid yet resiliently flexible attachment element arranged for retaining engagement with the flange on the fender and further arranged to retainingly receive the edge portion of a fender skirt formed from synthetic plastic sheet material, said fender skirt being arranged to span the opening to conceal a wheel covered by the fender and further being arranged so that it may flex resiliently inwardly upon engagement thereof by an object pressed thereagainst and so as-to immediately flex into normal configuration when th pressure of such object.

constructed throughout the thickness thereof .in l

any 1 desired color-or hue --to match the color --scheme=of the vehiclewith which it is associated,

thereby avoiding the' -necessity- .of applying a coat oi enamel thereto which vvillgbe scratched off to -mar the appearance of the vehicle upon collision skirt-Jconstructio'n;

"Figure liis a icross-sectional 1.view taken on the :Eigure 5 is. airagmentaryside :elevationalview taken .from the outside of a modifiedformiof my invention;

-Figure16 is across-sectional view taken .on the hue -VI-.VI: of. Figure 5;

Figure 1 isla fragmentary cnoss-asectionalsview similar to-Figurefi butcshowing .a retaining .ele-

mentfsecured-to ithe ienderlwiththeuiender skirt partiallyapplied ithereto yand FigureB .a =cnos s +sectional .viewqsimilar to Figures 56 hand --'7: ,bntishowing :the retaining 'ele- .ment ipartiallyisecured 0 thetfender.

As ibestzsho ni Fi ures land-3 the ender .110

:is .r o tv n $5 3 si e wall ther o wit aiwhee pening i z --W. 'h;:is ar an ed l o ali n with t e res ctir eel ro th veh c e and i l i lfin tiv 1i ht1y-m9r ha :h f a complete en los -that th ewe i qr ie ith r q curv cq rein ly owa d Qneenothe a a vv 2to rein the k ssen h wedse l witn t e tende a ainst-droppin the e om b gravty. extreme edemao h o t o f he -:f n' e .de ninsit Whee o n b l w th curved-po t on z' nd t q se v-e a t J .fecilitete nse on -i e skir ass mbl her s willhestibeiseens lomrEie rgfi;2. 3 and.. ,se -edge lportion-iof the tender .yvhich defineslthe wheel opening l.l- 's:- =bentwinwardly form a curvate :flange ilk-{which bulges .into' v.the'yvheel opening. :Whenl.the2skirt...assemblyris associated with the vrfender vitz'will abe. seen ::that a retaining .member l 5 :of 'concavoeconvex':configurationrsubrstantially complementary Ito.- the 'tflange I 4 vis :re-

tainingly engaged by the flange [4. Thisiretain- -ing:engagemeht isattained::bysinterlocking relationship existing between the inner peripheral portion I! of the retaining member I5 and the inner peripheral portion of the flange I4 of the fender I0.

As will best be seen from Figure 2, the sheet plastic fender shield skirt I6 is provided with a general configuration to conform with the wheel opening II and is further provided at the curvate peripheral part thereof with an inwardly turned hook-like flange I8 which may be flexed over the outer peripheral part I 9 of the retaining member I5. It will thus be seen that when in assembled relationship, the retaining strip will substantially envelop the curvate flange I4 of the fender I and be held in position by the convergingly related portions I2 at the lower part of the wheel opening I I in the fender. This relationship of the retaining member I5 and the fender ID will be seen clearly from the fragmentary view of Figure 3.

It is contemplated that ordinarily the retaining member l5 will be permanently attached to the fender I0 and that attachment and detachment of the skirt I6 will be accomplished by slightly flexing one end of the retaining member I5 away from the fender opening flange I4 as shown at the right-hand of Figure 4 to permit the skirt I6 and particularly the flange I8 thereof to be flexed away from and over the edge I9 thereof, whereupon the remainder of the flange I8 may be progressively slipped from the retaining member [5 to complete removal of the skirt from the fender.

In initially assembling the arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, it will be seen that it is merely necessary for the operator to flex the extreme ends of the retaining member I 5 generally toward one another sufliciently to permit insertion of the flange l8 of the skirt I6 thereover, whereupon the skirt and the retaining member are adapted to be assembled and the skirt may then be flexed outwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 to draw the flange I8 into engagement with and hold it assembled with the retaining member and permit insertion of the assembled parts upwardly to a position beyond the in wardly converging portions I2 of the fender. Thereafter, when the flexed parts are released, they will spring back into pressure engagement all around the defining edge of the aperture II and be securely retained in operative position.

With the foregoing construction it will be seen that there is provided at a vulnerable portion of the vehicle a readily flexible, yet form sustaining, self-supporting area which will readily withstand collision and may be flexibly distorted inwardly thereby but will immediately and easily flex, by virtue of its own resiliency, outwardly into normal position after the distorting pressures are relieved therefrom. Furthermore, it will be seen that this portion of the vehicle which is normally subjected to considerable abrasion and scratching will remain free from serious damage thereby because it is formed from a plastic material which needs no surface coating such as required by an ordinary steel skirt provided with the usual enamel coating, whereby the scratches will develop rust spots to cause progressive deterioration of the ornamental coating.

Furthermore, it will be seen that there is provided herein a novel and eflicient manner of detachably securing a fender skirt assembly to the fender to permit ready removal of the skirt from the fender for servicing the wheel concealed thereby.

It will be understood, of course, that in attaching and detaching the skirt assembly from the fender the operator may, if desired, utilize the retaining member I5 and the skirt I6 as a unit and accomplish the detachment operation by removing from the fender, in one operation, both the skirt I6 and the retaining member I5 by reversal of the process as is explained above in connection with the initial operation of the attachment of the parts shown.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Figures 5, 6, '7 and 8, the fender 2!] is Provided with a wheel opening 2| which is also of semicircular form but, in this instance, because of the construction of the fender skirt assembly it will be seen that the lower portions of the fender in the vicinity of the opening 2| need not converge as in the above described form.

As best shown in Figure 6, the fender 20 is here also provided with an inwardly and upwardly turned curvate flange 22 which defines the edge of the wheel opening 2!. The retaining member associated therewith, as shown at 23, includes an inner marginal portion 24 which, as shown in Figure 8, is arranged to be slipped over the edge of the flange 22 on the fender 2i and then, as shown in Figure '7, bent thereover to form a permanent interlocking engagement between the retaining member 23 and the fender 20 in that it will be left on the fender when the skirt is removed. The intermediate cross-sectional portion of the retaining member 23 is of concavoconvex configuration substantially to conform to the cross-sectional configuration of the flange 22, whereby the parts become essentially a unitary structure, which, as described presently, is arranged to efficiently receive a fender skirt 25 in detachable engagement.

To this end the outer margin of the retaining member 23 is formed with an offset 26 which provides a flange 21 that is spaced outwardly from the adjacent portion of the outer surface of the fender 20 when the retaining member 23 is in its ultimate position as shown. in Figure 7. The extreme outer marginal portion of the retaining member 23 is then preferably bent radially inwardly to form a flange 28 so that a rounded corner is provided for attachment and detachment of the fender skirt thereover as to be explained presently.

lhe fender skirt 25 which is formed from selfsupporting, form retaining, yet resiliently flexible sheet synthetic plastic material or the like is provided with a configuration similar to the wheel opening 2| and is provided at the curvate edge thereof with an axially and radially inwardly extending flange 2B which is arranged to be deflected over the rounded corner between the flanges 2B and 28 of the retaining member to provide secure retained engagement between the fender assembly and the skirt. As will best be seen from Figure 7, the flange 29, which normally assumes a flexed position as shown in Figure 6 in which it seats in the recess between the flange 2'! of the retaining member and the adjacent portion of the outer surface of the fender 20, may be distorted by depressing the skirt as at 30 in Figure '7 and pulling the flange slightly outwardly to raise the edge thereof, whereupon it may be forced over the rounded edge between the flanges 2'! and 28 of the retaining member and into seated engagement in the space provided by the flange 26 and the adjacent portion of the surface of the fender 20 (see Figure 6).

In the initial assembly of the retaining member 23 with the fender 20, as will be seen from l igure'8, the rattling-intelligent "siiiibd ngrreiiiieiitit fie I ehti'iicigolsgitiloii sheet synthetighla 5m l Ski the fender whereuponi mayb elea mean held 11 tud al'p scribed previously. t,

From the foregoing" ittviu-w construction of 6' a in member 23 an the "r ae zo 1 together permanently "and tightlysg tion and rattle will not aeveid 'th and that the resilient, 'sh't asi't may be quickly andeas plastic material.

It will be seenthatiri'tlie construction shown in Figures 5 to 8,- itis nob-necessary that the wheel opening in the fender 20 b pf such size that the extremelower, spear k edges of the fender will be converged"-t'riiwardone air other since the maintenance of theretaining member 23 upon the fender is accompli hedby the interlocking relationshipfdf the fl'angefgiifof v I the fender and the flang" member. If desired;howey 2| may be definedattli slightly divergently flared t' which may be utilized'in' pro' I W retaining memberi3-upon-its attachment 1: 91. 5 6b..

fender and Which-further beas a'iaefiil. 'grii attractive ce" etfender assembly. fiiiid As indicated previously, ther are many as:

vantages attendant upbif'fiiliejfender ski onth to, he structionshown herein. The siii t, which is one "4?) g'fEedWiflfthb a'r'i'ge"bnsa1d fend of the vulnerable portions of the vehicle with for detachable engagement between the fender regard to sideswiping, is readily distortible under skirt and the fender. collision pressures to immediately snap back into 3. A fender construction for a. vehicle wheel initial position when these pressures are relieved. including a fender having an opening opposite The fender skirt, being constructed from sheet the side of the wheel comprising a resiliently synthetic plastic or the like, is susceptible of flexible plastic fender skirt of a configuration to having color imparted thereto throughout the fit in said opening, said skirt being provided depth thereof rather than by a surface coating, with a marginal portion which is elastically flexwhereby scratching does not seriously mar the ible with respect to the edge of the opening for desired ornamental effect. The fender skirt is retaining the skirt on the fender, and an interreadily removable from the fender for servicing mediate retaining member for disposition beof the wheel, particularly in view of the fact-that tween the edge of the opening and the flexible in a construction made in accordance with my margin of the skirt adapted to be resiliently invention, the skirt will not freeze to the fender snapped into retaining engagement with the edge by virtue of the formation of rust or the like. of the fender opening and to cooperate in the From the foregoing it will also be seen that retention of the margin of the skirt at said fender there is provided herein new and novel retaining edge, said flexible margin being manually resilientmeans for detachably maintaining the fender 1y deflectable transversely for assembling it with skirt upon the fender. Preferably, as indicated the retainingmember and beingreturnableback of previously, the retaining means which comprises its own accord to its original shape upon release an elongated strip, is resilient whereby it may be from deflection. distorted from its initial configuration to be in- 4. In a fender and fender skirt assembly of the terfitted with the fender skirt. With such a character described, a fender having a wheel construction it will be seen that the retaining access opening therein, a fender shield for closmeans and the skirt will thus, after the retaining said opening formed from sheet plastic maing means has flexed back to its initial position, terial characterized'by being resiliently deflectbe engaged upon the fender understress developed able and form retaining so that after flexing by the resiliency thereof when the distorting pressure is removed therefrom it automatically pressures are relieved therefrom. returns of its own accord to its original shape, WhatIclaim is: 7 said fender skirt having a. return bent flange 1. In a fender assembly, a fender, said tender al n it fend n agin m r in, and a retainhaving a marginal part formed to provide an ining member en aging he mar in of the fender wardly extending flange, said margin being about said openin an in e lo k y enformed to define a wheel opening in the fender, e s d by said e de s irt ar i al flan e. said a fender skirt formed from form retaining, selr- 1| fianc i g manually resiliently deflectable into and out of said interlocking engagement with said retaining member.

5. A fender skirt assembly comprising, in com bination, a panel formed from thin, light weight form retaining, self-sustaining, resiliently flexible material marginally shaped to fit within and close a wheel opening in a fender wherein-the wheel opening is defined at the lower portions of its ends by generally convergent fender skirt retaining protrusions, a channel shaped retaining strip internestingly engageable with the edge defining the wheel opening and of a length to extend from one of the convergent fender skirt retaining protrusions continuously in engagement with the fender opening edge to the other of said protrusions and being resiliently expansible so as to tend at all times to maintain a tensioned engagement with the fender opening edge, the fender skirt having a marginal inturned hook-like flange in interhooked relation with the outer edge of said retaining strip, the fender skirt panel being flexibly distortable normal to its plane in response to pressure applied to the respective ends thereof for drawing said retaining strip into a compressed condition suflicient to clear said protrusions when mounting the fender skirt assembly in the wheel opening, and then resiliently returning to the normal plane of the fender skirt panel to permit expansion of theretaining strip into fender edge retaining engagement above said protrusions. I t

6. In a fender skirt assembly, a light weight panel formed from form retaining, self-supporting, resiliently flexible sheet material and dimen sioned to fit in closing relation to a. wheelopening in a fender, the fender margin opposing edge of the fender skirt having an inturned l ooklike flange formation resiliently flexibly manipulable to bend normal to its plane,'and a retain? ing strip of generally channel shaped cross section and formed from substantially stifier material than the fender skirt panel and with the channel thereof opening in a direction to engage nestingly with the edge defining the wheel opening, and said hook-like flange being detachably intereng aged with the outer margin of said strip by flexible bending of said flange to clear said outer strip margin into and out of interhooked relationship with said margin.

7. A fender skirt for disposition in closing relation to the wheel opening in a fender, comprising, in combination, a fender shield panel formed from resiliently deflectable and form-retaining material, said panel having a return bent flange along its fender-engaging margin, and a, retaining member engageable with the margin of the fender about said opening and being interlockingly engaged by said panel flange, said flange being manually resiliently defiectable into and out of said interlocking engagement with said retaining member.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,494,179 Matthew May 13, 1924 2,118,624 Schatzman May 24, 1938 2,124,041 Schatzman July 19, 1938 2,167,376 Schulz July 25, 1939 2,222,624 Mills Nov. 26, 1940 2,344,092 Komenda Mar. 14, 1944 2,421,634 Lyon June 3, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 103,092 Australia May 11, 1937 

